The Conservation Reserve Program helps America’s farmers, ranchers, and forest owners to voluntarily conserve environmentally sensitive land. Introduced in the 1985 Farm Bill, CRP once supported 37 million acres devoted to conserving soil, water, and wildlife habitat. But Congress reduced the size of the program to just 24 million acres in the 2014 Farm Bill, causing the U.S. Department of Agriculture to turn down thousands of CRP applications from those who want to enroll millions of acres of private land in conservation. Habitat loss continues to be one of the greatest threats to hunting and fishing in this country, so this loss of CRP lands could pose a terrible risk forupland birds, waterfowl, deer, sage grouse, and freshwater fish.

what's

at stake

Wildlife conservation is one of the three main goals of the Conservation Reserve Program, and it’s not hard for sportsmen to see that CRP works. By incentivizing private owners to repurpose their land, CRP has helped restore wildlife habitat and improve thousands of waterways since the program’s inception. In fact, CRP acres in the northern plains states make up a vital share of nesting habitat for more than half of North America’s waterfowl. And CRP is helping landowners to voluntarily restore and supplement sage grouse habitat across the West, providing a much needed boost to a species in decline. Whitetail deer, black bears, pheasants, quail, wild turkeys, and countless other species have also been rebounding thanks to the conservation of millions of acres of grasslands and buffers through CRP.

CRP’s impact on water quality is especially notable. Through smart land management decisions, like the installation of waterway buffers, CRP protects more than 170,000 stream miles with trees and grasses. This improvement means cleaner drinking water and better fish habitat near CRP fields and downstream.

If that weren’t enough, many farmers, ranchers, and forest owners also open CRP acres to hunters and anglers in their communities.

Sportsmen all over the country want to maintain resilient fish and game populations, and CRP is one of the most successful conservation programs for private lands. Unfortunately, there’s little room left in CRP for private landowners who want to help, and so fish and wildlife are also at risk of being crowded out. Year after year, the acreage cap placed on CRP has been reduced and sportsmen and women need to take action to reverse this downward trend—for the sake of fish, wildlife, and our sporting heritage.

The Conservation Reserve Program was signed into law by President Ronald Reagan as a part of the Farm Bill on December 23, 1985. This popular program is regarded by many as the greatest private lands conservation initiative in modern U.S. history. The program compensates landowners who voluntarily repurpose their land to conserve soil, water, and wildlife. By renting CRP acres from producers and providing cost-share assistance for things like seeds, trees, and labor, the U.S. Department of Agriculture helps make it financially possible for America’s farmers, ranchers, and forest owners to grow conservation.

While CRP once supported almost 40 million acres of conservation areas, the program was reduced to 32 million acres following the economic downturn in 2008. The 2014 Farm Bill continued this downward trend and Congress cut the program again—to just 24 million acres. It is now clear that the supply of acres isn’t keeping pace with demand. In February 2016, landowners applied to put more than 1.8 million acres into CRP, but USDA only accepted 18 percent of the offers—the lowest acceptance rate in the program’s 30-year history.

We need a stronger CRP. Sportsmen and women have too much at stake—healthy habitat, abundant fish and wildlife, and access to quality places to hunt and fish—to let the number of CRP acres drop any further. Secretary of Agriculture Sonny Perdue, Senator John Thune (R-SD), and Congressman Collin Peterson (R-MN) have all voiced their support for raising the cap, and other decision makers are beginning to do the same. Now it’s our turn to speak up.

CRP is a sportsman’s greatest ally in preserving habitat for hunting and fishing on private lands. Sign our petition to show your support for a stronger CRP in the next Farm Bill—because CRP works.

Supporters

Tell Congress: I Support a CRP that Works!

Hunters and anglers know that the
Conservation Reserve Program is America’s greatest private land conservation
program, but changes made by Congress in the last Farm Bill have caused USDA to
turn away thousands of farmers who wish to enroll millions of acres in habitat
and clean water conservation. Sign the petition and tell Congress to build a
CRP that WORKS—for soil, water, wildlife, and sportsmen!

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Message

Sportsmen want Congress to strengthen conservation on private lands

Dear [Decision Maker],

I am an American conservationist who values the important voluntary contributions that private landowners make to habitat conservation, clean water, and outdoor recreation. I'm asking Congress to recognize the needs of America's agricultural producers, hunters, anglers, and wildlife when considering the Conservation Reserve Program in the 2018 Farm Bill, by reauthorizing the program at a level that will sustain enrollment of at least 35 million acres nationwide.

Private lands managed by America's farmers, ranchers, and forest owners provide fish and wildlife with irreplaceable habitat and food sources. Pheasants, quail, wild turkeys, whitetail deer, black bears, salmon, and countless other species have rebounded thanks to our country's 30-year investment in the Conservation Reserve Program. Without a strong CRP, the northern plains states would lose much of their duck breeding habitat, greater sage grouse in the West would be at greater risk of population decline, and eastern brook trout would disappear from our headwaters. Without CRP, 40 million American sportsmen and women would lose access to private hunting and fishing grounds, and rural communities that depend economically on outdoor recreation would lose an important source of revenue.

Farmers, ranchers, and forest owners want to enroll millions of private acres in the Conservation Reserve Program, yet Congress continues to shrink the program with each enacted Farm Bill. I know that CRP works for America's agricultural producers, sportsmen, fish, and wildlife, and I want lawmakers to reverse this trend by authorizing at least 35 million acres of CRP in the next Farm Bill.